Stroopwafel Granola

I remember that when I was a kid I didn’t get my mother’s morning routine. She would sit at the table hidden behind the newspaper and when I tried to talk to her she would say: „Please, can you wait until I have had my coffee?“ I think I still tried to talk to her all the time and I would always get this and only this answer. I remember that I had no idea what was going on. I mean, I could talk to her without having a coffee!

Today I do understand. Because every morning we have to get up way too early for me. I try to follow my routine while still half asleep: Dress, get the kid dressed, send her off to daycare. Get to work. Thankfully there usually is a gap between „send the kid to daycare“ and „get to work“. Things slow down and I sit in the kitchen, stare around, and wait for my coffee to be ready.

Sometimes sitting around and staring at things is a good thing. One day I looked at a package of stroopwafels (Dutch syrup waffles). They are one of my favourite treats and vegan versions are widely available here. I always wanted to make my own version. But these waffles are made in a stroopwafel iron and those are hard to find. And even if I would find one, would I really need it?  To make these waffles once or twice a year? Of course not. So I thought about making them in the oven. Probably that would not work. But putting my prepackaged stroopwafels into a baked granola would work! And I am glad I tried this out because the recipe is my favourite granola recipe now. The stroopwafel flavour is enhanced by cinnamon and supplemented by lots of roasting flavours and of course this would be perfect with a cup of coffee. It also makes a great snack or food present, too.

Tip: You can swap many ingredients; for example almonds for hazelnuts, almond or cashew butter for hazelnut butter, flax for chia, and so on.

Stroopwafel Granola

400 g (4 cups) old-fashioned oats
70 g (1/2 cup) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
40 g (4 tablespoons) chia seeds
45 g (4 tablespoons) sunflower seeds
146 g (5 waffles) stroopwafels, roughly chopped
55 g (1/4 cup packed) brown sugar
85 g (1/4 cup) agave syrup
60 g (1/4 cup) hazelnut butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Evenly spread on the baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Stir once or twice. Let cool completely and transfer to a glass container with a lid.